Snow Cover Pollution By Potentially Toxic Elements In Small And Medium-Sized Industrial Cities: Case Of Sverdlovsk Region, Russia

<jats:p>This study aims to develop and validate a method for assessing urban air pollution by analysing undisturbed snow cover in residential areas of small and medium-sized industrial cities in Sverdlovsk Region, Russia: Kachkanar, Serov, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, and Alapaevsk. Snow samples were collected in each city.</jats:p> <jats:p> The proposed approach is based on the analysis of the most contaminated solid fraction of snow (particles &gt;2 µm and filtrate). This method has shown effectiveness in identifying pollutants and their sources. It is also more cost-efficient and offers better material accessibility than the approach that analyses both dissolved (&lt;0.45 µm) and suspended (&gt;0.45 µm) snow phases. The balanced set of qualitative and quantitative indicators includes the physical and chemical properties of snow, the accumulation intensity of PTEs, the calculation of indices ( <jats:italic>I</jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>geo</jats:sub> , EF, PI, PI </jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>sum</jats:sub> , PI </jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>avg</jats:sub> , and PI </jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>Nemerow</jats:sub> </jats:italic> ), dust load, and geochemical associations. </jats:p> <jats:p>Snow’s physical and chemical properties were influenced by natural conditions. Low mineralisation and suspended solids were mostly composed of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates and sulfates. Snow pH was slightly alkaline in Serov and mildly alkaline in other cities.</jats:p> <jats:p> Metallurgical and mining cities showed higher pollution according to the indices: elevated V and Fe in Kachkanar, Cr in Serov, Cu and As in Verkhnyaya Pyshma. Kachkanar was the most polluted city ( <jats:italic>PI</jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>sum</jats:sub> – 154, PI </jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>Nemerow</jats:sub> – 12 </jats:italic> ), while Serov and Verkhnyaya Pyshma were also significantly polluted with similar <jats:italic>PI</jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>sum</jats:sub> </jats:italic> and <jats:italic>PI</jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>avg</jats:sub> </jats:italic> values (66 and 4.2, respectively) and <jats:italic>PI</jats:italic> <jats:italic> <jats:sub>Nemerow</jats:sub> </jats:italic> values (5.1 and 7.2, respectively). Geochemical associations reflected local industrial profiles. Dust load ranged from 27 to 163 mg/m <jats:sup>2</jats:sup> /day, peaking in Kachkanar. </jats:p> <jats:p> The collected data indicate current atmospheric pollution in the studied cities. This method proved effective for assessing urban air pollution and is recommended for environmental monitoring in other industrial regions.</jats:p>